Quotable

“But let’s talk about the act of editing. Some editors do it and some editors don’t. Most modern editors believe that line-editing—going over sentences for consistency—is what editing is all about. That’s the easy job, folks. It’s harder to look at a piece of fiction and see what’s missing or whether the structure needs changing…

“And it’s even harder to tell a writer to start the book again—which most modern editors will not do.

There are several things in this excerpt that I believe in deeply. One, line editing is not the sum total. It’s not even the starting place. Two, sometimes things need major overhaul in order to make the selling difference–whether direct to readers or via agency to traditional publishing–because that’s what readers need. And three, this is not a dying art.

Perhaps I’ve been blessed in my associations, because “old school” is how I’ve learned it and how I’ve seen it done–in-house, and by pro freelancers with more years than I.

Get Posts by Email

ABOUT SCIENDA EDITORIAL

My name is Cathi-Lyn. I'm an editor of award-winning fiction. I suffer a genetic predisposition in favour of tall tales.

What's your story?

Some of My Clients

Stephanie Landsem is a traditionally-published author with Howard-Simon & Schuster. She writes historical fiction set in the Middle East.K.M. Weiland is an established independent author. She runs the award-winning Wordplay blog. She is the author of the Writers Digest University course, "Outlining Your Novel."Marc Schooley is an award-winning paranormal fantasy author with SF/F publisher Enclave Publishing. His novels combine deep philosophical themes with high action and gripping human struggles.
Grace Bridges is the owner of New Zealand SF/F press Splashdown Books. She contracts Scienda's content editing services for various house projects.
Shamus Young is a programmer, gamer, Escapist columnist, and successful independent author. He runs the very busy and funny gaming site Twenty-Sided Tale.In addition to these authors, I'm pleased to serve many more, both published and as-yet unpublished.View more clients' published works or read client highlights.